Hagia Triada

A monument to neglect

This is a special post to wish my friend Ergun, and my wife Jan happy birthday, their birthdays are one day apart. When I took these photographs of Hagia Triada, Ergun or Jan, or both were with me. Happy birthday Ergun, happy birthday Jan.

We have been visiting Ayvalik, a nice little town on the Aegean coast of Turkey, for quite a few years. The town has many old and interesting buildings from old houses to old churches and many others in between. One building that is near where we stay is an old, dilapidated church, Hagia Triada (Holy Trinity). Unlike many buildings in Ayvalik, houses and churches alike, which are built almost entirely using stone, Hagia Triada structure uses a good amount of wood, including on its columns. If I remember correctly, the local name for the church is Tahtali Kilise, meaning Woody Church or something to that effect. The framing of the structure, at least the second level construction, as well as the columns and arches are made of wood. From an article I found on the wooden churches in Ayvalik, I learned that the core of the columns are cypress tree trunks about 8″ in diameter with additional wood lattice and plaster around them. (See article for more.)

As you approach the 19th century building it is impossible to avoid a feeling of imminent collapse of the whole structure. The wood frame of the second floor with fallen stucco or plaster cover mostly gone makes the interior visible through the cracks. A few semicircular steps in the front lead to a portico. The wall under the portico with three doors is covered with graffiti and the doors are falling apart. Braving the danger of the collapse one can (at that time I took some of the photographs could) wonder inside to take a close look and a few more steps there lead to the main floor. Space is sizable and the roof, supported by columns has a huge hole in the center. The rest can fall anytime. Some of the decorations on the ceiling and on the columns are discernible and they give a sense of what it might have been like in its good days. Lately, the doors are locked for safety concerns and one can only look through the windows. Apparently it was used a storage facility by the local State Monopoly Administration (Tekel Idaresi). Their name is on the no trespassing signs warning the would be visitors entering the building is dangerous. Dangerous, it is!

I am not an art historian and have no idea about the significance of Hagia Triada Church in Ayvalik. It may or may not be a significant structure from historic, architectural, or artistic perspectives. It must, however, have local significance as it once was a part, perhaps a significant part of this town. It stands mainly, at least for me, as a monument to lack of ownership of local history and general neglect of the past and the old. Buildings like Hagia Triada could have been kept up and their lives could have been extended for future generations to enjoy them and the history they represent. For various religious and cultural reasons this building was left to die a slow death. I have seen other examples of this ignorance of local heritage in other places I visited in Turkey as well. Hagia Triada is the symbol of this neglect in Ayvalik. I photographed a whole neighborhood in Adana with its old houses left to a similar slow death. It is not about one building or two, or even ten that are important, the main point is the general neglect of the past.

So again, Happy Birthday Ergun and Jan.

Ayvalik, Flowers, and Windows

img_3474 A stroll through the narrow streets in Ayvalik will make one aware of the close relation the people have with two things: flowers and cats. Now, I don’t mean to give the impression that you will find lush gardens, meticulously manicured in ever respect. I know of one such garden in Ayvalik, it is the garden of the Melin house on Zafer Street. Instead, you will see hollyhocks reaching 8-feet or more in height on a sliver of soil on the side of the street, perhaps a mere 8 inches; you will go by many houses where windows became mini gardens with some flowers in pots; you will even see flowers painted on old, crumbling walls, as if to make them last longer. In every alley, next to most poles, at the corner of many houses will be some plant trailing to find the best path to reach the sun. [Read more...]

Ayvalik-Lesvos Days

_mg_5186 June 21, we learned about a wonderful cultural exchange between Ayvalik and Lesvos (Λέσβος) only one day before we left Ayvalik. Apparently it first started last year at Lesvos, alternating the festivities between there and Ayvalik. The part we saw was a folk dance performance and both the Ayvalik and the Lesvos dancers looked wonderful, young, and eager to share their cultural riches. I waited for a while and as the weather got too hot and the program was delayed due to the late arrival of the dignitaries, I left without actually watching the performance. My sister and brother-in-law spoke very highly of both groups. I thank all the dance team members, the Ayvalik group and the “Dancing Group from Loutra of Lesvos” for allowing me to photograph them.

The event was reasonably crowded, I think it could have been [Read more...]

Deniz Kestanesi, again

_mg_4912 Yes, we went there again; it is a very enjoyable place. Tonight was the broadcast of the visit of Mr. Vedat Milor whom we saw about a month ago recording there. All in all, it was a good review but I could not understand why he praised everything served and yet gave the food 3 out of 5. For some items he indicated that he could not eat anything like it in other places in Istanbul (calamari, in case you are wondering). At the end I was expecting at least a 4 out of 5 on the quality of food. That said, I agree with the limited selection of wines. In defense of Deniz Kestanesi, I would like to bring out the patronage issue again. The clientele needs to demand certain things, be willing to pay for it, before expecting them to happen from the get go.

_mg_4913 The evening was a very fine one with our friend Reha joining us, Jan, Ergun, Binnaz, and I. The food was more varied today. I highly recommend the eggplant “Pabucaki” and the stuffed zuchini flowers. The octopus salad was very tasty and tender. We enjoyed pretty much everything served. They even went to the trouble of making eggplant pilaf because we mentioned it a few days ago. Now, that’s attention to detail and the client’s needs. See their Web site for more information.

Dinner at Deniz Kestanesi

img_3520 Yesterday afternoon we stayed home, tended to some computer installation issues, rested. Later in the afternoon we strolled to “Deniz Kestanesi” (Sea Urchin) in town. The hollyhocks on the street where we live are probably 12′ tall; I kid you not! I took a few photographs along the way, including a young boy who was cherishing the thought that he had a puppy.

The restaurant was totally empty except for us. I am amazed at how people of Ayvalik ignore this fine restaurant. Our table was just above the sea, I could almost dangle my legs between the railings to touch the water. Across the way were some islands, including Lesbos. The sunset was great, so was the food. The owners are very careful with attention to detail and the quality of their food without being pretentious. The ambiance is truly [Read more...]